A Child Could Be Told It’s Hell - The First Signs Have Appeared

Unexpectedly, former SBU head Vasyl Malyuk has reappeared in the information space — and this time not as a defendant. The assault on Malyuk is coming from two sides. Malyuk is mentioned in an NABU investigation into a bribe related to extradition to the Russian Federation: materials of this case were published 31 in July. And already 1 in July it turned out that the SBU and Alpha were conducting searches and detentions in Khmelnytskyi region among people who have direct relation to Malyuk.

Malyuk was considered a discovery for the SBU. During his leadership of this agency, the SBU distinguished itself with bold military operations, such as “Spider” (Pavútyna), and also effectively fought Russian spies and collaborators in the rear.

Under Malyuk’s direct leadership, sea drones called Sea Baby emerged, which had a significant impact on the defense of the state in the Black Sea.

In addition, Malyuk enjoyed strong support from the military and politicians. Despite all this, he resigned as head of the SBU in January 2026.

For the first time after his resignation, Malyuk appeared in public in April during a pre-premiere screening of the film “Killhouse,” where he played a cameo role as himself. When asked by journalists what he is doing now, Malyuk succinctly replied that he is carrying out orders from the supreme commander-in-chief.

At the same time, there are certain signs that in the near future there could be some charges brought against Malyuk. This concerns two cases — NABU and the SBU itself, where Malyuk is currently behind the scenes. But he is still present — in both cases.

The case of the Corostyshiv hooligan

31 in July, the project Slidstvo.Info published an investigation into extorting one million dollars from Russian citizen Alexander Kuznetsov, who lived in Ukraine. The money was to be provided in exchange for not extraditing Kuznetsov to the Russian Federation.

The direct defendant in this case is Andriy Osipov, nicknamed “Criminal.” NABU recorded conversations in which Osipov called himself part of the team of the then head of the SBU Vasyl Malyuk (using the phrase “I’m from VV,” i.e., from Vasyl Vasylovych Malyuk).

Prosecutors also read at court recordings of conversations in which the defendant discussed Malyuk’s wife and hinted at a shared past. In another conversation, Osipov calls Malyuk a “Corostyshiv hooligan who reached a high level.”

By the way, the assertion that Andriy “Criminal” Osipov practiced law is not true. A full namesake, a National Bar Association expert, is a different person.

No real connection between this case and Malyuk has been established yet. Fraudsters often hide behind connections with famous figures to gain trust. However, for Malyuk this is a troubling warning signal.

Perhaps this is a more serious case

Another, even more alarming signal is the searches and detentions in Khmelnytskyi region 1 in July. The SBU and “Alpha” conducted investigative actions at the head of the regional SBU, Oleksiy Prokopenko.

At the same time, allegedly the deputy head of the Khmelnytsky OVA, Volodymyr Falyush, who previously worked for Serhiy Hamalia, head of Khmelnytsky OVA until March 2023, was detained. There is no official information on this. However, searches and detentions are being discussed on social networks in Khmelnychchyna.

Falyush allegedly “covered” schemes in the regional highway department with the help of other people from Hamalia’s team. This is reported by Bankova Mail. Hamalia was deprived of the post of head of OVA after the Chernovtsy police detained him while drunk behind the wheel.

Prior to that Hamalia allegedly met at the popular restaurant “Diverso” in Chernivtsi with Oleksandr Yeremychuk, who at that time was under sanctions of the National Security and Defense Council as a contrabandist.

After his resignation, Hamalia went to work in the SBU. There he took the position of adviser to Vasyl Malyuk.

Allegedly refused to carry out orders from the Bank Office (the Presidential Administration)

As is known from insiders, during the great crisis in power, connected with suspicions against former head of the OP Andriy Yermak, there was no single view in Zelensky’s team on how to act. Some proposed to protect Yermak and to increase pressure on anti-corruption bodies, up to arrests of NABU and SAP leadership.

The insiders suggest that Malyuk refused to carry out orders to pursue anti-corruption figures. However, whether this is true is unknown. Just as it is unknown whether the investigations underway now are truly related directly to Malyuk.

Earlier, Informator wrote that in January Malyuk stated that he was leaving his post with his head held high. He also added that he would stay in the system and work for the state.

At the Killhouse premiere, Malyuk was seen in the company of Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko. As is known, Klitschko is at the center of a major conflict with the Office of the President.